Mazda Cup @ Lime Rock Park; Chicane

[Shilka]

For some reason I love this bumpy track, makes my car feel alive hehehe.

So far managed a 1:04.8 after one practice session, I need to find a decent way through the uphill into the chicane for sure, and have no clue yet what would be a good line so far; it's easy to get through the chicane, but it's very hard to do it fast, just little variations in speed and line seem to send me into a spin, or make me miss the chicane all together,... guess I'll have to do it slow and slowely build up my speed there step by step.

BTW, the amount you can cut the chicane is near to rediculous imho, you can practically drive straight through the orange sticks without getting a black flag, which is a bit too forgiving it seems to me.

 

[Shilka]

1:03.7 after an evening of practice, pretty happy with that, should be able to get into the low 1:03's with practice, but consistency needs practice too...

Both me and wap should be on tomorrow too, was good practice today with wotan there too, although me getting close to him seems to jinx him a bit... lol.
Was fun, looking forward to more!

 

[Kenadian]

I've managed to hit the low 1:03's but can't find time on the track beyond that point as of yet. The last corner onto the straight is literally killing me because I lose so much time there it's obscene.

I just can't seem to find consistency there so it's either hold off a bit to keep my line or go for it and end up over the curb to the left.

Hopefully Practice this weekend will help me find some consistency there.

Oh and btw, the chicane is just plain stupid. There's no point to having it when you can drive through all 3 pylons on both corners after launching off the right curb into the chicane.

I think I take that section on 2 wheels every single time lol.

 

[Kenadian]

I've gotten as low as 1:03:300' ish but just can't find more time on the track anymore. I've even managed to improve the last corner onto the straight but that's not saying much given I'm still horribly inconsistent there and sometimes have to let off to stay out of the dirt.

I'm probably going to race it tonight to see how it goes and perhaps again on Sunday just to see if there's any noticeable difference before and after our Group Practice Sessions.

The one good thing of note is that my incidents are lower than I thought they'd be here and I've managed to get my loss of control down to 3 times/1 hour Practice Session.

... and that's just trying to find time where there's probably no time to find.

 

[Shilka]

Yeah, my opt time is 1:03.2, but I think were having decent times considering the results I see in the practice sessions. yes, I saw some do 1:02.8 upto even 1:02.5, but those seemed to be veteran racers by the looks of their stats.

Think consistency is key here again, as I see lot's of people spinning, and this track is really a track where any corner can put you into a spin when handled wrongly. Practice should really help with that.

Another thing I noticed in yesterday's practices, is that lots of people get black flags at the chicane, and a bunch of rookies would slow down extremely or even come to a full stop on the middle of the driving line right after the chicane. At times the part after the chicane was more hazardous then the chicane itself, lol.

At least I don't seem to have the cold tire probles I had when first racing this track, seems I have a learned a thing or two in the past weeks XD

 

[Kenadian]

I've noticed the very same thing in the chicane and will likely race it with a lot of space between the cars in front and me going in.

I was caught up in a few wrecks in Practice being on someone's bumper and noticed I could avoid them better and then run through the grass if need be with that extra space.

The problem really is the blind hill because people can lose it up there and you just don't know until you crest the hill. Even if they slide going through the hill it can be difficult to avoid them as it's not a great breaking zone so the extra spacing really pays off there as well.

 

[Wapwap]

A difficult track to master, but good fun once you get the hang of it, although that chicane just keeps being a tricky bit.
So far my best time is a 1:03.115.. should be able to dive under the 1:02 with some more practicing.

The race yesterday went pretty well surprisingly. A lot of consistency compared to the practicing sessions with only 3 incident point. Started at 9th place and finished 6th. I would have thought this track is a mayhem during a race, especially during the first lap, but miraculously there were no incidents at all. Really clean driving.

 

[Noodleguitar]

...but miraculously there were no incidents at all. Really clean driving.

Except you getting lost on the straight on one lap, with me beside you, terrified that you would lose it . Nah, it wasn't that dramatic, and I agree, really clean race for all of the 20 laps.